taken 4 years ago, near to Mickley Square, Northumberland, Great Britain

This area on the north bank of the River Tyne was the site of the Eltringham Ferry before the holiday chalets were built. The ferry provided access to Mickley Station and was operated from a Boat House on the south bank of the river. It operated until about 1962. Ovington has been a holiday chalet centre since the 1920s, providing access to the countryside for people from the industrial areas of Tyneside. In recent years they have declined but there are still substantial numbers at Overdene, Whittle Dene, Ferry Landing and along the Ovingham road. They are mainly occupied in the summer months.

The chalets at Ferry Landing are used as holiday homes but in World War II they were used to house evacuees. The local name for the chalets is the 'African Village'. This point on the river was the landing for the Eltringham-Mickley ferry. Its existence is recorded in a painting by Arthur Richardson and in an engraving by Thomas Bewick, whose home was nearby on the south side at Cherryburn. In the 1920-30's the ferry was used by miners to travel to the coal mines on the south side of the river, at a cost of 2d. It was operated by the tenant of the Hare and Hounds Inn which used to stand on the opposite side of the river at Mickley Junction. The ferry ceased operation and the Inn was demolished in 1962.Link